T R A N S I S T O R
by MiyukiShinodaMindFreak
Summary: A songfic based on Girlicious' "Radio" as a tribute to Carolyn Stoddard & Barnabas Collins pairing. A continuation of T U T O R I A L. A Barnabas X Carolyn story. DON'T like this pairing, then DON'T read it! Lolita X Humbert theme alert...
1. PART1

A/N: Konnichiwa! It seems that my 'T U T O R I A L' one-shot has been receiving positive feedbacks so far and there are some reviewers who suggested that I should make a continuation of that one-shot but I decided to not combine this with the other one because that was meant to be a one-shot and this is more about my imagination of them dancing while listening to Girlicious' song, 'Radio'. I did consider writing a chaptered Barnabas X Carolyn fan fiction & I have started a bit so far but for the time being, I wrote this as an inspiration of my one-shot and also 'Radio'. I thought it really suits the situation and so I had to write it. If you happen to read this first, I suggest you read the other one first. LolitaXHumbert theme alert. Dislike this pairing, click the "Back" button of your browser. You have been warned by MiyukiShinodaMindFreak! Enjoy this songfic!

Disclaimer: I don't own **ANYTHING** related to the Dark Shadows movie or tv series. It's **solely owned** by the producers, the directors and the story writer for both the series and movie. I'm just doing this for entertainment purpose.

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P A R T 1

The skies are blue, the sun shining brightly as ever. The Collinwood Manor stands perfect and majestic as always. Although old and ancient, it still proudly represents the Collins family until today and it has also been revamped inside and outside, giving it a newer and fresher look.

The mansion is silent all over, giving an impression that no one lives in there however there are still living ones dwelling in there except one, who is an undead being. All of them are of the Collins descendant except Victoria the governess, Dr Julia Hoffman the psychiatrist and the two old housekeepers who have served the Collins family for quite some time and they are loved by the Collins family.

Everyone is in their own rooms, minding their own businesses. Elizabeth is in her bedroom, going through her closet, thinking of what to wear for an upcoming dinner that she had been invited by one of her high school friends.

David is in Roger's room, staring curiously at his father reading the newspaper. Once awhile he would question his father about certain things that he couldn't understand in the newspaper. With slight annoyance and with a heavy sigh, he would answer his son with least interest.

Julia is in her special room, going through her medical tools and medical books. She is rather bored of her life and wonders if she could escape this place and visit other places like California, Florida or New York.

As for the two old housekeepers, they are also in their own rooms, resting. The governess, Victoria is reading a good book in her room. She seems to be very fond of a book that she had bought in Collinsport recently.

The undead being, Barnabas is reading magazines that he borrowed from Carolyn and Elizabeth but most of them are Carolyn's. He seems very intrigued with the huge difference between the 70's life style and his old lifestyle as a mortal back then. He flips the next page and reads the articles with full of questions in his head.

Last, but not least is Elizabeth's daughter, Carolyn. She is on her bed, finishing up the last of her English homework while listening to Alice Cooper's music on the record player. She has been working on her essay for almost an hour.

"How do I conclude this?" she asks herself as she bites the end of the pencil, thinking about a good ending for her factual essay.

The girl looks away from the book on her desk and stares at the lava lamp. Her eyes follow the movement of the red blob flowing upwards and downwards. She tries to imagine if there really is a swimming pool with those red blobs floating or sinking or flowing in the water.

She looks out of the window and sighs. It is a sunny day indeed and that means David would invite her to play sports later in the afternoon. Sports are the only activities that Carolyn and David have in common. Despite the fact the both of them do quarrel about almost anything and everything like siblings but when it comes to sports, they would be neutral about each other's presence because to them, sports is an ultimate getaway from their estranged lives as members of the Collins family. Their lives became more interesting ever since the undead Barnabas Collins returned to Collinsport.

"Five o' clock is a stupid date with David and sports. Too bad there isn't anybody living close to us. I doubt there's anyone living near us right now," Carolyn mutters sourly as she turns back to her homework.

The girl finally finds a solution to the conclusion and she immediately writes it down. The sound of the pen scratching against the paper is audible eventhough a rock ballad song is being played on the record player.

"Voila, I'm done. Now I can finally relax and think about what stupid game to play today," Carolyn says as she tosses the pen onto the table and stretches her hands in the air.

"You really are fond of sports, aren't you?" a masculine voice interrupts.

The teenager's pulse beat raises as she turns around to allocate the person who has intruded her room. She looks around and finally spots Barnabas Collins leaning against the hinge of the door. He is dressed in black pants, a long sleeved button up shirt which its sleeves rolled up with a dark vest layering the shirt. His jet black hair is neat as ever and the dark faded charcoal-like effects around his eyes are present as usual but he seems to be lacking his prestigious walking stick which he carries around when he is out of the mansion.

Carolyn Stoddard stares at him, wondering how he could intrude her room without a single sound and she blames herself in her heart for not locking her bedroom door. She feels rather irritated that he walks inside her room without even knocking the door. It is considered a big offence to her.

"You could at least knock," she says in an irritated, factual manner.

"I did knock but you were too intrigued with your paperwork," Barnabas states as if he hasn't done anything to irritate her.

The girl rolls her eyes and folds her arms to her chest.

"What do you want?"

Barnabas politely asks, "Could I step in, Miss Carolyn?"

The teenager rolls her eyes elsewhere before eyeing him and says, "Fine."

"Thank you," the vampire says as he walks over to the darker side of her room which is not exposed to the sunlight.

The vampire stands at the corner and observes the room as if it is his first time. He looks at Carolyn and gives her a particular look which has slight coldness to it, as if he is trying to intimidate her. This undead man seems to love every minute of moment of intimidating her with his authoritative way of entering her room but playing it cool just to irritate her. It seems so wrong that he is playing such a silly game with this girl but he has no idea why he is doing it so. He has never done this with anyone, not even with his past lover Angelique or with his late wife Josette.

This little game started ever since the girl starts to tutor him everything he needs to know about the 70's in order for him to survive and to catch up with the future, seeing that he will be around for quite a long time until the end of times. The girl loves to humiliate and tease him as she teaches him but deep down, it seems to attract his attention. He is peculiar of the fact that she is his distant niece and that she is brave enough to put up such an attitude towards him. He could anytime hurt her if she does not treat him well but something in him retains him from doing it so. He has no idea why.

As for his version of teasing, he loves to irritate her and pushes her button to see how far she could tolerate him. He knows that all teenagers even the ones during his time too act similar to her. He could see a fraction of himself in her attitude when he was a mortal teenager back then.

Barnabas looks at the girl and gives a cunning smile.

"What is it do you want?" Carolyn asks as she clears up her study desk.

Barnabas replies, "It's simple. Why are you engrossed in sports apart from your passion for music?"

Carolyn walks away from her study desk and sits on her bed.

"There's nothing much to do at home and so sports is another activity for me. There is of course the television, books in the library and the telephone but other than that, there is nothing much to do in this place."

Barnabas nods and understands that the people from her era are completely different from the people from his era. Their idea of entertainment really clashes with his idea of entertainment.

"Have you ever wandered in the woods? The beauty of the greenery is also interesting, if you are interested in the environment. Curious ones should strut in the woods and listen to the songs of the birds and discover hidden things in there," Barnabas suggests.

Carolyn leans her back against the bed and says, "My mum won't allow me to venture in the woods alone. Even if I ask David to accompany me, she won't allow me. I prefer discovering alone but I'm also thinking about the dangers in the woods and also my shoes will be covered in dirt."

"Alright then, maybe I should return to your topic about sports. I've observed you and David several times playing sports and could tell me the games that you play, perhaps?" Barnabas says curiously.

His distant niece flips her hair and says, "I love playing badminton and sometimes we do play softball or baseball. We do cycle around the mansion once awhile but personally, I love playing badminton the most around the mansion. I mean, it's impossible to play squash or tennis if those courts aren't present around this place."

"What do you mean by 'courts'?" Barnabas asks, his curiosity begins to expand beyond his mind.

"It's just a rectangular space with special flooring and walling, depending on the type of sports," Carolyn explains to her distant uncle.

"That sounds fascinating. I really must take part in the sports that you participate in, that is if it isn't as sunny as how it is right now," Barnabas says, feeling very intrigued.

"Sure," Carolyn says.

The vampire nods and says, "What about your mother or Roger or Julia? Aren't they interested to join you and David?"

Carolyn snickers and says, "I doubt so. They're more interested with their own lives."

"That is rather disappointing, I suppose? I think they should spend more time with the both of you to maintain the family bond," Barnabas says as he moves away from his corner, heading to the door, "I shall see you later."

"Five o' clock," Carolyn states.

"Alright," the vampire says as he exits her bedroom.

^%^%^%^%^%

"Isn't he joining us?" David asks as he points at Barnabas, who is standing in front of the front door.

"There's still the sun, obviously," Carolyn says as she tightens the shoe laces of her shoes.

"Oh, I've forgotten that he's a vampire," David says as he turns back to look at Barnabas.

Carolyn stands up and starts serving.

Barnabas, who is sheltered from the sun, observes the two young members for the Collins family. He crosses his arms at his chest and thinks about the feathery white object being hit back and forth by the both of them.

However, the vampire seems to be observing Carolyn more than David. His eyes are locked on her blonde hair, slowly trailing down to her sleeveless top, then to her shorts and stopping at her slim white legs.

Then, he observes David. He is wearing a shirt over a pair of shorts which were slightly longer than Carolyn's.

He concludes that the clothing item that people wear in this era seems to be getting shorter and more colourful.

As the game proceeds, Barnabas wonders when he could join them but he feels dishearten at the presence of the bright sun. Sometimes he wishes that he is still a mortal instead of the creature he has become. But he rethinks again, if he is still a mortal, then he won't be here to watch these two playing badminton and he won't be able to see the present Collinsport as how it is.

The vampire sits on the chair which has been brought out just to watch the game.

A sudden thought of Carolyn and Victoria appears in his mind. He sees significance of Josette in Victoria but he cannot seem to understand why he is observing Carolyn, trying to understand this teenager instead of trying to rekindle his love for Josette. Could it be that after almost two centuries in the coffin, he gives up on Josette? Or could it be that he wants something new? He used to think that Josette is his everything and that they would live forever but it could be that time had changed him. The wasted time he spent sleeping in that cursed coffin that Angelique had placed him in.

Barnabas tries to recall all the memories he had with Josette. He could remember some but they seem to be blurry and faded at the course of time. He does remember what are Josette's favourite flowers and the food that she likes but he seems to have forgotten the detailed memories of their times spent together.

He buries his head in his hands and stays motionless. He could not understand what is going on in his head. The changes around him, seeing his distant relatives, returning home after almost two centuries are new things that he is still trying to adapt to.

The undead man recalls the first day he walked back to his mansion. He saw Willie and asked him the year he was in before looking curiously at the scarecrow. He entered the mansion and told himself that it hasn't changed much. He walked over to the fireplace and saw Carolyn and David reading and Elizabeth appeared right after that.

However, he still couldn't understand how this is all happening to him. He tries to reason out the things that are currently around him.

Suddenly, he hears a feminine voice calling out to him.

He looks up and sees Carolyn and David drenched in sweat, standing right in front of him. They have odd expressions displayed on their sweat drenched faces.

"I'm dreadfully sorry," Barnabas says as he picks up the two mineral water battles next to him and passes them to the two youngsters in front of him.

"We're not mad at you," David says as he drinks his water.

"Neither am I," Carolyn says as she rolls her eyes over to David.

Barnabas smiles and says, "That was quite a game the both of you put on."

"Thank you Uncle Barnabas!" David says with a grin.

"You don't have to formally address me like that, David," Barnabas says as he looks at the boy.

"Alright," David says as he passes back the water bottle to the vampire.

Carolyn follows suit and her eyes are suddenly locked on Barnabas. She couldn't help but to look into his black eyes, trying to decode the darkness that he has experienced before this.

The girl turns away from him and walks back out in the sun to continue the game with David.

Barnabas sighs and continues watching them playing the game.

"I've been missing out a lot and time really has changed everything," he mutters darkly to himself.

^%^%^%^%^%

Barnabas Collins lies upside down from his four poster bed, imitating the way bats sleep. He is too accustomed sleeping like that but he does miss the times when he was more normal, like a human.

It is finally dark outside and he has had his dinner two hours ago with the other Collins and Julia Hoffman. He feels more comfortable after getting to know more about them. He finally feels like he belongs somewhere in this era.

Things were normal during dinner two hours ago. Elizabeth, elegantly dressed as ever, telling off her daughter who had a little squabble with David. Roger would shake his head and tell his son not to annoy Carolyn while Julia ignores whatever was going on. Victoria ate her meal silently and offered help to the two housekeepers to clear up the table. Elizabeth would initiate a topic with Barnabas once awhile and that was the only time he spoke. Once awhile Elizabeth would tell him about Angelique and Barnabas told her off about bringing up that topic during dinner.

"That nasty witch," he mutters as he tries to erase the thoughts of Angelique.

There is a knock on the door and Barnabas turns his head, directed to the door. He keeps silent.

The door is being knocked again, twice.

"Who is that?" he asks loudly.

"Carolyn," says the muffled voice from behind the door.

"Come on in," he says.

The door swings open to reveal Carolyn dressed in a long sleeved blouse with colourful polka dots on it with a pair of black pants. On her head is a black hairband.

The teenager slowly closes the door halfway and walks towards the vampire and stands in front of him.

"You're weird," she says as her eyebrows creased when she stares at him oddly.

"I know I am. I take that as a compliment," he says in a sarcastic manner.

The girl looks away from him and walks to the window, looking at the dark skies.

"What brings you here, young lady?" Barnabas says as he positions himself on the ground, standing up.

"I was just wondering if you're alright. Besides, we're family members and I was just thinking of strengthening the bond between us. I mean, you're going to be here forever and I'll be dead for sure. So, why not just get to know more about you, seeing that I'm still alive," the girl says, still looking out of the window.

"That is very thoughtful of you," Barnabas says as he walks over to the window.

He places a hand on the girl's shoulder gently and says, "You said that you were concerned about me, weren't you? What is in your mind, my dear?"

Carolyn looks at him, trying to avoid his dark eyes.

"Well, you seem troubled when you were with me and David just now. Are you worried about that woman?"

Barnabas shakes his head and says, "No, no it isn't. I'm actually thinking about how I would be a part of your people. How I would actually appear more normal to them and also to all of you in this mansion."

Carolyn shakes her head.

"Well, my mum seems to accept you for who you are. Everyone did freak out seeing you for the first time but I think they're ok with you now, I guess."

Barnabas turns his head to the bed.

"Maybe you should have a seat, perhaps? This could be quite an interesting conversation that would convince the both of us to keep resuming this little topic we are having right now."

Carolyn eyes him cautiously and silently walks over to his bed and sits at the edge of it. The vampire pulls a chair from the study desk and sits opposite her.

"Where did we pause a moment ago?" Barnabas asks.

"You were making a statement that you don't fit in," Carolyn says frankly.

"True," the vampire says.

The teenager looks at him and without holding back herself, she honestly says, "I hate to burst your bubble but I thought that you're quite of a freak the first time I saw you. I mean, you look so similar to that man in the portrait hung above the fireplace. You look like an exact clone of him or something. It is weird, actually but who wouldn't freak out?"

Barnabas displays a weak grin.

"But you remained calm, my dear."

Carolyn sneers and says, "I was being sarcastic, without having to say anything. You did call me a hooker. I'm certain of that."

"I am deeply sorry about that, Carolyn. I was just being frank about your appearance," he says, with a tone of honesty.

"Whatever," Carolyn says as she rolls her eyes with dismay.

Then, she says, "I hope your problems and troubles do not get in too much of your way. I saw you looking confused as you stare blankly into space."

Barnabas feels surprised and his eye widens a bit. She did observe and notice him sitting in front of the door while they were playing badminton. He suddenly could feel himself a little more relieved.

"You were busy with the game, weren't you?" he says, feeling incredulous.

"I was, but I did notice you a bit," Carolyn says monotonously.

Barnabas stands up and says, "You shouldn't worry too much about me, young lady. I am still in one piece and you shan't burden your thoughts because of my presence. All is fine, so far."

Carolyn stares at him oddly.

"That's what I wanted to hear. I just wanted to know if you were alright or not."

Barnabas smiles weakly and says, "I am fine, young lady."

The girl stands up and walks away from him while saying, "I'm heading back to my room. I've got some things to do."

As she reaches the door, Barnabas says, "Thank you for being concerned. If you have thoughts troubling you or whatsoever, you could come here anytime you want to."

The girl turns back to look at him. Her eyes dwell over to his figure and the window behind him. Then, she turns away and shuts the door behind her.

The vampire sighs and walks over to the window, staring out into the darkness.

"You are definitely one kind of a girl."


	2. PART2

P A R T 2

Friday night emerges. The dark skies are darker than ever, indicating that it would rain soon. The clouds gather around Collinsport and the areas close to it. Small drops of water begin to fall to the ground, followed by several more and finally it drizzles, wetting the grounds, washing away dirt on the roofs, wetting people who are walking on the pavements in town.

In Collinwood, the Collins family and Dr Hoffman have just had their dinners and the adults excluding Julia are still in the dining room, discussing about expanding business in Collinsport. Elizabeth and Barnabas are the only ones actively discussing except Roger, who nods every once and then.

Carolyn is watching the television alone, watching a teenage drama while lying down on the couch in front of the television.

David is in front of the fireplace, reading his favourite book from the library.

"Great, advertisements," Carolyn mutters sarcastically as she looks away from the television screen.

Julia, who is heading back to her treatment room, overhears Carolyn. She smiles and recalls herself when she was a teenager just like Carolyn.

"They are such nuisance," says Julia as she approaches the couch from the back.

Carolyn says in a surprised tone, "I didn't know you're here."

Julia says, "Well, I just happened to pass by here."

Carolyn remains silent.

"You're watching that favourite show of yours right now? Could I join, if you don't mind?" Julia says in a hopeful tone.

"Sure," Carolyn replies casually.

Julia walks over to the couch. Carolyn sits up and leaves some space for Julia. The psychiatrist sits next to her and stares at the television.

"Dr Hoffman, could you recall the times when you were a teenager?" Carolyn asks curiously.

The psychiatrist looks at her and says, "Why do you ask?"

"I'm curious," Carolyn says as she gives Julia an 'it's just a question' look.

Julia nods her head.

"Well, I don't really have an interesting teenage life as you do."

Carolyn laughs hollowly and sarcastically says, "Yeah, I have an interesting life."

"It's not an everyday thing for a distant relative to show up at your door, claiming to be your distant relative while stating that he is a vampire,"

"That's not interesting. That's weird,"

"Why do you hate him so much?"

"I don't hate him,"

"But you don't seem to be that friendly with him,"

"He's weird and I just can't believe that he's the actual Barnabas Collins,"

"Well, it is the truth."

Carolyn lets out a long breath.

She tries to accept the fact that he is her distant uncle and that he is also a vampire. A part of her mind keeps denying that this is just a horrible, long nightmare but in her heart, this is the truth and this is the reality.

The teenager feels very puzzled with her life. Her life has never been exciting or boring but she couldn't find the exact word to describe her life. One thing for sure, she could describe her life as complicated and full of mystery. Her parents divorced when she was only seven years of age, her aunt died due to falling off a cliff, her uncle is estranged and her cousin is precocious. Dr Hoffman was called a few years back to help out with the Collins family to help out with their lives in addition to treating them whenever they fall ill.

All of a sudden, this man, Barnabas Collins, who happens to be a vampire, gives them a visit and claims that he is the real Barnabas Collins. He had proven himself several times that he really is a vampire and that he is their ancestor. This is what makes Carolyn very dazed in her thoughts.

The presence of Barnabas in her life does not confuse her just that. She couldn't shake off the recent memory of her and him dancing to 70's music, which soon led them to dancing to classical music in a very intimate manner. This resulted in Barnabas controlling her and kissing her passionately on her lips. She could feel herself shiver at that thought but at the back of her mind, she seems to accept him doing that to her although it was so wrong. He is her distant uncle and he is very old indeed but appears like a man in his twenties.

She could still remember the icy cold lips being pressed against hers, passionately exploring her virgin teenage lips. She has never kissed anyone and has never even had a boyfriend. It was a new experience for her, getting to know the feel of being kissed but was wrong is that she is his distant niece. The strangest of all is that he is a vampire.

People who see her would assume that she has experienced relationships with boys in school but that impression is false. She looks matured because she has gone through many strange incidents among her family members and that she has to be more independent ever since her father divorced her mother. In addition to that, she has to guard her secret, which is she is a werewolf.

Nevertheless, Carolyn Stoddard is just a typical fifteen year old girl who is going through changes and experiences in her life.

"I guess so," Carolyn finally replies Julia after a minute of silence.

"You'll get used to it," Julia says as she gives a weak smile to Carolyn.

The teenager nods her head and she focuses back on the television.

^%^%^%^%^%

A few hours pass and Carolyn is in her room, lying on her stomach while reading a magazine. The radio is switched on, playing various genre of 70's music.

The girl flips to the next page and focuses on the fashion tips column.

Rain seems to be pouring harder than ever, raindrops flowing down the window.

The temperature of the mansion seems to be decreasing as minutes pass due to the coldness of the rain at night.

"It's going to be a cold night," she whispers as she flips to the next page.

There is a knock on the door.

Carolyn looks up from the magazine and stares at the clock. It is ten thirty. She looks at the door and wonders who is behind the door, wanting to pay her a visit at this time of the night.

The girl keeps silent.

The person knocks the door again, twice.

Without fear she says, "Who are you?"

"It is me," says a familiar muffled masculine voice from behind the door.

Carolyn immediately recognises the voice. She has a feeling that it's Barnabas.

"Come in," she says, feeling odd.

The door swings open to reveal Barnabas dressed in a white button up shirt with its wrist buttons unbuttoned and the top two buttons unbuttoned, revealing greyish creamy white skin. Over the shirt is a vest, resembling closely to a Victorian butler's type of vest, which is fully buttoned up. As for the bottom, the usual black pants.

Carolyn stares at his clothing from top to bottom and wonders how he would look like if he were to dress something similar to Roger but with more elegance and class. Clothing is the first thing that she would notice about Barnabas whenever he is within her sight. She knows that people of his time would dress up like that but it is 1972 and she feels odd that he is still dressed like that. It's not as if he is attending any Halloween or costume party. The next time he comes around to her room for another tutorial, she would have to teach him on how to dress up according to the time they are in. However, she might need to get Roger's permission to lend her some of his clothing, which is if he is willing to lend his clothes to Barnabas. If that does not work out, she would have to buy clothing around Collinsport for Barnabas and to teach him how to imitate the clothing displayed in magazines.

"What brings you here?" Carolyn asks, still lying on her bed.

The vampire shuts the door behind him, his fingers silently locking the door.

Barnabas' eyes immediately transfixes on Carolyn, studying her face and her blonde hair over and over again like a scientist dissatisfied with his or her experiment results. He can't seem to get enough of looking at the beautiful virgin right in front of him.

The vampire analyses the question in his brain. It feels as if he has been awakening from a dream. He came to her room and she asked him why he was here. The question seems relevant to the situation but he has no firm answer to reply her question. It was all of a sudden her felt like paying her a visit when he heard the music being played from her transistor.

Staring at the transistor, he quickly replies, "That object sparks my interest."

Carolyn rolls her eyes over to the transistor, which is currently playing rock music.

"Oh, that."

Barnabas nods and hisses, "Yes," as he walks over to the chair which he usually sits on when he is in her room.

"It's a radio," Carolyn says curtly.

"I see,"

"It plays various types of music. Press the buttons to get different stations and you'll get different types of music being played,"

"That is indeed advanced and fascinating,"

"Obviously."

Silence falls on them and the only thing audible are the rain drops pounding against the window and also the music being played on the transistor.

Carolyn's eyes dart across the room and lands on the transistor.

"What kind of music do you like?"

Barnabas replies, "I seem to be able to accept Alice Cooper, which you speak of recently."

"Alright," she says monotonously.

Silence falls on them again.

The vampire stands up and walks over to the window and looks out into the darkness. The moon seems to be absence and he could see rain drops flowing down the window. There is nothing much to look outside for the time being.

He looks down at Carolyn, who is flipping through the pages of the magazine.

"Carolyn, could I kindly ask you to do me a favour tonight?" he asks in a polite but firm voice.

The teenager looks up at him and processes his sentence. He wants her to do him a favour tonight. She hopes it isn't something taxing because she is not in the mood to tutor him anything tonight.

"What is it?" she asks.

"It isn't a burden. It is more of a practice, actually," says Barnabas.

The girl keeps silent and stares at him oddly, feeling as if he could read her thoughts.

"Would you dance with me tonight, my dear?" he asks.

Carolyn's eyebrow rises as she moves away from him. She collects all of her magazines and gets off the bed, heading to her bookshelf and placing them there, packed against other magazines.

The vampire smiles as the girl emerges him. His eyes are immediately transfixed on her nightdress. It's white in colour with repeated patterns of pink ribbons printed on it. The nightdress is lowly cut and a pink ribbon is sewed at the chest area, highlighting the chest of the wearer. The nightdress is spaghetti strapped, which would reveal the Caucasian girl's slender white arms, if she removes the white cardigan that she is currently wearing. Apart from that, the hem of the dress ends right at her knees, revealing her slim legs with white stockings that reach her calves.

Barnabas has never seen such a beautiful teenager like her who, he assumes to be a virgin. To him, if she existed during his time, she would be quite a candidate for a wife for marriage. He is delighted to see such beauty held by a girl of her age standing right in front of him.

As the girl approaches him, the vampire imagines how her arm looks like. He feels the strange urge of touching her arm, trailing his sharp nails from the shoulder until the tip of her fingers. His icy cold fingers would gently caress her young skin, with the intention of reassuring her that he really is a vampire and to also to see her response to his delicate touches on her. In addition to that, he also feels the unexplainable urge of scenting her blonde hair again as he breathes against the strands of hair while his hands grip her bare shoulders.

Carolyn moves closer to Barnabas and stops half a meter away from him. She tries to avoid his odd gaze. The more he looks at her, the feeling of comfort and security begins to dissipate within herself. It is a typical fear that anyone would feel but she has been accustomed to him being present in Collinwood. She is used to having breakfast and dinner with him everyday and lunch during the weekends at home. He appears harmless so far but her immense fear of him still dwells within her. She fears him because he had threatened her if his uncontrollable hunger for blood empowers him. She fears him because he had done something to her recently which left her confused in her mind and it had affected her responses towards that undead man.

The voice of the DJ on the transistor fades away, replaced by a rock ballad.

Carolyn places her arms on Barnabas' shoulders while the vampire places his arms around her waists and they start to dance to the music being played.

The girl slowly looks up, looking into the vampire's eyes, wondering about the first time they danced recently.

The vampire grasps her small waists gently, with full of care and caution. He feels as if the teenager is a fragile item made of glass which could shatter into pieces if it slips from his grip and falls to the ground. He couldn't help thinking of her that way eventhough she is just a mere fifteen year old mortal who happens to be his distant niece.

"I like your nightdress, Carolyn," Barnabas initiates the conversation after a long pause.

The girl's cheeks reddened, contrasted to her whitish skin.

"Thank you, Barnabas," Carolyn says as she looks elsewhere.

Barnabas pulls up a hand and places it on her cheek, stroking it lightly.

The girl shudders at his touch. His icy cold fingers give shock to her body, similar to small electric currents that just flowed in her body.

"What's wrong my dear?" Barnabas asks.

"Nothing," Carolyn says as she tries to avoid the vampire's eyes.

"You're avoiding my gaze," he says as he caresses her cheek lovingly.

"Don't hypnotise me," the girl says softly but in an authoritative manner.

The vampire casually says, "I don't see any need to hypnotise you."

Carolyn quickly says, "You're a vampire. It's so obvious that time you did something to me so that I could allow you to kiss me and to pleasure you."

"It is not true. I did nothing. You willingly succumb to me," Barnabas says honestly but gently.

"I was a fool for allowing you to touch me," Carolyn says in an angry tone and she pulls away from Barnabas and walks o the other corner of the room.

"Don't lie to yourself Carolyn. You're bright enough to know your feelings and to control your actions," Barnabas says firmly.

The girl faces away from him, unable to look at that devil in disguise.

The vampire adds, "Ask yourself. Why are you even dancing with me right now?"

Carolyn clenches her fists angrily. The vampire wasn't lying. She was dancing with him willingly just a few minutes ago.

She could have lied and said that she had schoolwork to deal with later or she could say that she wanted some time alone but for some odd reason deep in her heart, she wanted him to stay and to dance with her. She feels as if it was the right time he asked her to dance with him minutes ago. The teenager couldn't fathom what is wrong with her and why she felt a small percentage of comfort dancing with him despite the fact that she couldn't stand looking at him.

The girl turns around to look at him and says, "Maybe I was deceiving you."

She slowly walks back to him. She counts every of her footstep before reaching him.

"I'm sorry," she whispers.

The vampire smiles weakly and places a hand on her hair, slowly rubbing it and caressing the roots of her hair.

Carolyn could feel fear and comfort at the same time. These feelings daze her young mind, giving her an impression that she is an innocent girl lost in ferocious dark woods.

Barnabas leans forward and sniffs the top of her head which smells like a cross between cherries and strawberries. His hands lock around her waist once again.

"Shall we continue where we left off just now?" Barnabas whispers against the strands of her hair.

Carolyn nods her head as a response to his question.

The vampire firms his grip on the girl's waists, shortly followed by Carolyn locking her arms around the vampire's neck.

"Do you enjoy dancing like this?" he asks.

"I guess so. I think I did tell you that I've never danced with any boy like this before," Carolyn says.

"What a pity," he says.

Carolyn adds, "But I did dance with some of my girlfriends a few years back."

"You are a great dancer and a quick learner, Carolyn. Your beauty is clearly evident without you having to put powder on your face or paint your lips red," Barnabas praises her.

"Thank you," the girl says as her cheeks redden again.

They resume dancing for another hour without saying a word but embracing each other's dance movements by holding onto each other tightly.

Barnabas pulls the girl closer to him and leans forward. He places a hand on her head, stroking it and running his fingers in her hair.

Carolyn tilts her head to the right as Barnabas finally catches hold the left side of her head.

Barnabas sniffs her hair again and goes over to her neck, brushing his nose against her neck before his lips brush against it softly.

Carolyn breathes deeper and feels herself about to lose control when the vampire kisses her neck a few times before licking her ear lobes.

Without noticing, as if it is a normal automatic response, the teenager presses her body against the vampire, closing any gaps between them. She couldn't resist him.

Barnabas places his hands behind her, rubbing her back through the thin cloth separating her skin from his hands. He rubs her back repeatedly as he proceeds to kiss her lips.

The undead man presses his lips gently on her lips, exploring her lips like a curious explorer in a unique foreign land. His hands trail up to the ends of her hair. His fingers twirl around her hair, curling it while rubbing the palms against the cloth that separates her skin and his touches.

Carolyn moans softly, like a natural response as to what he is doing to her right now. She could feel her throat making the lustful noise as the undead man kisses her passionately. Her mind has gone out of control and so are her hands. The girl's hands slide down from the neck to his torso, her fingers gripping onto the fabric of his vest, clutching it tightly, unable to let go of it.

The girl's moans became more lustful and seductive as the vampire's tongue licks her lips. The teenager's hands grasp the vest on and off as her fingers stretch out and trail on his chest. At the same time, she could feel her heart pounding harder than ever when that undead man's tongue wets her lips again and again with his every lick.

The music on the transistor changes to a slightly upbeat music.

Suddenly, the vampire releases his hands from her back and holds her hands gently as his tongue slowly penetrates her mouth. He guides her hands down to the buttons of the waists, guiding them to unbutton them. The girl silently obeys his icy cold fingers to unbutton them and she does it, slowly removing the vest as the vampire pushes her gently against the wall near the window.

Carolyn's curiosity kicks into action. Her hands toss the vest to the ground and they snake behind him, exploring the fabric of his shirt while outlining his back through the fabric.

The vampire also does something similar. He swiftly removes her cardigan to reveal her smooth white slender arms. The cardigan falls to the ground.

The vampire's tongue finally meets with the girl's tongue. His curious hands station themselves on her shoulders, slowly trailing them down while his fingers caress her skin gently and stops at her fingers.

Carolyn's legs suddenly feel rather numb and she begins sliding down against the wall and the vampire pushes his tongue further into her mouth, his tongue brushing against her tongue, licking it with full of desire. Carolyn's tongue plays along too by licking the bottom of his tongue, then the tip of his tongue and finally gives freedom to her tongue to explore the inside of his mouth. Her tongue slows down as it brushes against the fangs. She could feel the sharpness of the fangs.

The girl continues sliding down slowly to the ground and her buttocks hit the ground. Her legs bend, her knees are against her chest and Barnabas slows down as he sits on his knees like a Japanese person. His hands are still clenching the girl's soft hands and he slows down his passionate kisses.

He pulls away from her lips and presses his lips gently at her neck, licking it from the base of her until the ear lobe. Using his hands as guide once again, he directs her hands to his chest and leaves them on the buttons of his shirt, signalling her to unbutton them but those hands just stay there, grasping the fabric of his shirt.

The girl looks up at him, her eyes lucidly displaying confusion as her trembling hands are unable to unbutton his shirt.

The vampire understands that she is not ready yet.

Barnabas stops kissing her neck and breathes against her neck, giving the girl goosebumps.

"Delicate, beautiful girl you are," he whispers hotly against her neck, making sure that his breath brushes her warm neck which tempts him to bite her neck to feed on her blood.

Carolyn's moans slowly dies and she breathes hard due to her fast heartbeat. Her chest rises and falls due to her breathing.

The vampire releases her hands and places his hands gently on her bare knees, which makes her gasp with surprise.

"I'm sorry, my dear. Did I scare you?" he asks as his long fingernails circle around her knees on purpose.

Carolyn makes an uncomfortable noise and whispers in a pleading manner, "Please, stop."

Barnabas circles for the last time and stands up, gently pulling her up and guiding her to the bed. He sits down, slowly followed by the girl.

Carolyn couldn't look at him and she tries to look elsewhere.

The undead man pulls her closer to him and they hug.

"Sweetheart," he whispers hotly into her ears.

The girl remains silent as her hands grip around his body.

He pulls her hair over to one side of her shoulder, revealing the back of her neck. He kisses it softly and lovingly.

Barnabas pulls away and looks at the girl.

He places a hand on her chin, directing her face to meet his gaze.

The girl's eyes are directly fixed at his eyes and he could see in her eyes that she does have a certain amount of fear of him and also some comfort. He couldn't understand much but all he sees is the dominant feeling of fear of him. He could suddenly feel some sense of victory but at the same time, he also fulfils his little desire of tasting her lips and her mouth, which is a strange urge for him to do so. However a part of him feels confused because of the way he handles the girl with full of caution and care as if she is his lover. He has been very careful with her all the while and he has no idea why he tends to be extra cautious with her and it's not because of her age. It's more like he has a strong attachment with her which makes him want to hold her gently and lovingly like a precious porcelain doll.

Carolyn's mind feels as if it has gone blank after what had happened. Staring into his eyes, she could suddenly feel some weird sense of kindness and caring nature in him. She couldn't stop feeling that way eventhough she knows what he could do to her if he goes berserk. The girl could not understand what had just happened because he is her distant uncle and also she has never kissed any boy in her life. From how her body reacted, she feels a sense of excitement of experiencing what had happened recently.

The vampire stands up and heads over to where the girl's cardigan fell. He picks it up and gives it back to her.

The girl takes the cardigan from him and holds it.

Looking at the clock, Barnabas says, "It's getting late. Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Carolyn looks at the clock. It's a quarter past twelve and what he said is true.

She nods her head and pulls up her legs to the bed and slowly lies down, gently placing her head on the pillow.

Barnabas pulls the sheet over her body and sits at the edge of the bed, observing the girl. He places a hand on her forehead and playing with the strands of her soft hair.

"Do you want the transistor to still be on?" he asks as he strokes her hair.

"Just leave it like that," she says softly.

"I shall," he says softly as he looks away from the transistor.

He leans down and presses his lips on her forehead.

"Goodnight, Carolyn."

He stands up and is about to walk off when suddenly Carolyn grabs his hand.

The vampire turns back to look at the teenager.

"What is the matter, my dear?"

She pulls his hand and he leans forward.

Carolyn places a hand on his cheek and pulls his face closer to hers and she kisses his lips.

"Goodnight, Barnabas," she says as she releases him.

The vampire nods and walks over to her door and presses the switch, leaving the room in complete darkness except the lava lamp.

Carolyn's eyes are suddenly fixed to the darkness. She could still see the outline of the vampire but she decides to close her eyes and dozes off.

^%^%^%^%^%

"Good morning citizens of Collinsport!" the DJ says over the transistor.

Carolyn Stoddard mutters sourly as she pulls the covers over her head with annoyance. Her mind is still groggy and she feels like going back to sleep.

Suddenly, her eyes widen as her mind replays a scene of her kissing Barnabas' lips. The wet kiss they shared last night. The tongue that penetrated her mouth and ventured in it, brushing and wrestling with hers. She couldn't believe that it is the reality instead of a dream.

The girl uses her index finger to touch her lips. They are now dry.

It all makes sense. Of course it did happen. They were dancing last night before succumbing to their desires. But to Carolyn, she feels more than just lust and desire. She feels like there is something in him that makes her so curious about him.

"Barnabas," she mutters as she stares at the chair which he usually sits on when he is in her room.

She can deny all she wants about their dirty little secret but the fact remains that they had done something out of curiosity and also because of some uncertain feelings felt by the both of them.

If there could actually be a witness to what had happen, the transistor would be the best witness of all in the room.

* * *

A/N: That's the end of this songfic. I hope you enjoyed it! What do you think about this story? Have a say? Just click the button below ;) ^^


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